Our Crazy Family

Some news..

2009-02-24T18:31:00.006-06:00

News:

-Ben lost his first tooth yesterday (eating an apple).

-Invention Convention was a hit. Ben invented a Hy-Go (hydrating bike helmet) and Charlie made a Super Snack Machine (machine for Mommy to deliver snacks to him).

-Charlie won the Mardi Gras Mask contest today. Happy Fat Tuesday!

That's it - I'm switching to wordpress.

2009-02-03T22:44:00.003-06:00

My images look awful on blogger. That was the last picture I will post on here until I have time to switch.

In case it takes me a while I need to report the following:

1) Charlie put Coop's diaper and pj's on today. Cooper was very excited about that.

2) Ben has his first loose tooth. His buddy, Sam, was over yesterday and he told him at least a dozen ways to get it out, including the old tooth-floss tied to the doorknob trick (thank Heaven it didn't work). So cute!

3) Ryan (another good buddy) unlocked some very important things on the DS's today. Very exciting indeed!

Fancy Nancy at Christmas

2009-02-03T22:41:00.002-06:00

These are all out of order, but I'm pulling them off randomly. Mark would keeeeeel me if he saw how disorganized my folders are. I need to work on that.

Just a couple recents

2009-02-02T20:02:00.002-06:00

I had these on my computer. L in her soccer uniform (cookie face) and B after school. The two C's were somewhere...

Our vote for a new word

2009-02-02T19:58:00.002-06:00

I'mn't = I'm not

All three of my kids have used this word around 3-4 years of age. Anyone else?

Maui

2009-01-28T11:54:00.009-06:00

Finally our pictures from Maui! We went with our good friends, Scott and Carolyn and celebrated our 10 year anniversary and Scott's 40th birthday!

Dinner at Tommy Bahama (why do my pics look so weird in blogger?):

Waiter told us these are edible???

Guess not....

Mark and his Draper 'do:

The view from our chairs every day:

Here is the view if I turned my chair around :)

That's Mark out there:

Our last night at The Four Seasons. So sad!

This was the first night - dogone Blogger drives me crazy by inserting these wrong:

Walked to the little chapel at the Grand Wialea - stained glass in Mark's eye:

Can you believe this hottie has four kids?

From our balcony:

Back to the first day after a LONG flight:

Our Thanksgiving at Grandmama's and Grampy's

2008-12-09T14:41:00.020-06:00

I'm so excited to get these up before Christmas!

Thank you, Grandmama and Grampy for a wonderful time!!!

Chothers

2008-12-05T08:26:00.002-06:00

Ben is at the counter doing his homework and says: Mow, how do you spell Chothers?

Me: Huh? What is a Chuther?

Ben: You know, "We play with chother's toys."

Me: (Trying not to laugh). Ahhhh! you mean EACH OTHER'S!!

On our way to piano lessons today....

2008-10-29T22:16:00.003-05:00

We were almost there and Ben says, "Oh shoot, I forgot my shoes."

By the time we got back home it was too late to go back, so no piano today.

Seriously? Who forgets their shoes?

This happens at least one of every twenty trips.

I thought about it, but he didn't even have SOCKS on!

I could also get some backup crocs I guess. Maybe some pink ones - hehe. Is that wrong?

They also forget to bring home COATS, homework, lunch boxes, etc. from school. So frustrating.

One more that Mark took

2008-10-28T18:04:00.002-05:00

He was pretty proud of himself. Please don't mind my roots.
(It's a llama at the Pumpkin patch.)

Happy Halloween

2008-10-28T14:10:00.002-05:00

I swear! One of these days I will update on everything we have done in the past few months. In the meantime, here is a little pumpkin:

Guess you peed on the potty TWICE today?!?

2008-10-09T14:53:00.002-05:00

Cooper! I swear; I have no interest in training him right now, and this might be a phase.

He pulled his diaper off and said,"go podieeee, go podieeee...." I humored him and let him stand on a stool by the toilet. He peed this morning and then again this afternoon! Go Coop! Big boy bed and potty in the past two weeks. Now he just needs to sleep through the nigh. Ughhhh!

American Girl Place

2008-09-23T17:32:00.005-05:00

Still catching up! Ahhhh, the stress of a blog. This is almost as bad as keeping up with the baby books.

I took L & little C to the American Girl Store back in August when the older guys were at Camp Grandmama and Grampy Campy.

It was so much fun and a total ZOO! I have never seen so many little girls (and pouting little brothers) in one place. Luci was in Heaven!

She bought pajamas and matching pj's for her Bitty Baby, then we walked around Michigan Avenue until it was time for lunch. No less than a dozen people asked if Luci and Cooper were twins (huh?).

When we got to the restaurant the waitress set up a highchair for my baby and then offered one to Luci who was standing beside me with Bitty Baby AND Dirty Baby. The waitress quickly realized Luci's conundrum and offered her an extra high chair so that both babies could have a special spot.

After lunch we headed to Daddy's work. He rode home with us and both kids konked out in the backseat.

Dear Friends,

2008-09-18T12:54:00.013-05:00

Today is Friday. It is the very first day in a LONG time that we have nothing on the calendar. We have nowhere to go and nothing scheduled until we pick up B & C from their play date.

If you happen to stop by, please do not be alarmed. It is noon and L, C and I are all still in our pajamas. We just had pancakes for lunch.

I have loads of laundry going, paperwork on the table (thank you notes will arrive soon!), toy bin organization, and two crafts going. It looks like a bunch of crazy people live here.

My husband would have an anxiety attack if he saw us! Please don't worry. We will be clean, dressed, and the house will be better than new before you get home (maybe).

Love,

Kendra

Luci "Babysitting"

2008-09-18T12:54:00.011-05:00

Luci and I do a lot of things with our babies. We take them on trips to the store or put them in strollers and take them to the park. She puts her baby in a swing and I put mine in a swing. She rubs her baby's foot on her nose when she sucks her thumb and we all crack up when I do the same with my baby.

This day Luci offered to babysit my baby (Cooper). Who am I to pass up a good babysitter? Especially when the only payment due is candy.

Cheers Uncle Mike!

2008-09-18T12:54:00.010-05:00

Coop loves his uncle Mike! I think Uncle Mike got a little tipsy because Coop made him do "cheers" so much.

No more mom!

2008-09-18T12:54:00.009-05:00

Please don't let Luci babysit me any more

Ice cream Man

2008-09-18T12:54:00.006-05:00

This guy went down our street at like 8o MPH every day this summer. The kids caught him ONCE, I'm so glad I had some cash and a camera ready!

Nie Nie

2008-09-18T12:54:00.005-05:00

One of my friends sent me a link to this incredible blog a while back. Nie Nie is an inspiration to me as a wife, mother, and just all-around neat human being. I catch up on her blog whenever I'm feeling overwhelmed with motherhood or life in general and her stories and pictures never fail to revive me.

Nie and her wonderful husband, Christian, were recently in a plane crash. They both have burns covering their bodies and will be in the hospital for a very long time. They are so blessed to have survived the crash, but I can't imagine what they are going though. I cannot get Nie, Christian and their four children out of my mind.

Please say a prayer for them and take a few minutes (or hours) to read her blog. What an incredible gift Nie and her family are to the world.

Nie's blog:

To donate to Nie and her family:

One of the coolest people I know...

2008-09-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

He continues to amaze me! My brother:

http://www.parkrecord.com/scene/ci_10448996

Just the boys...

2008-09-13T13:58:00.002-05:00

Lego Museum

2008-09-13T13:48:00.006-05:00

Who's in there?

We had a blast, of course! We spent an entire day there and all of the kids were in Lego Heaven!

The zoo

2008-09-13T13:38:00.005-05:00

A little more catch up. These were from the summer. The one of Luci and the giraffe in the background was an accident! I didn't realize that she and the giraffe were looking the same way until just now.

The kids had a blast. They all touched the Stingray - even Coop!

Chris Matthews

2008-09-13T01:07:00.004-05:00

For a while we thought Coop looked like Mickey Rooney, then we though maybe Bob Barker, but now we have it.

Hopscotch

2008-09-09T10:16:00.005-05:00

Ben and Charlie were at a friend's house and Luci was so sad that she couldn't go. She doesn't understand (or agree) that she is younger than they are.

We drew a hopscotch game and she tried to teach Coop, but he wasn't cooperating, so she just went back and forth by herself. Mommy tried to keep up for a while, but it's hard to jump for that long!

I love the look of concentration (tongue out!) and her trademark shoes on the wrong feet.

Can you save this?

2008-09-03T20:39:00.002-05:00

Tonight Charlie brought me a little flower punched out of tape. It was colored on and wrapped in tape. He handed the tiny treasure to me and said, "Mom, can you save this so that you always remember how creative I was when I was six?"

A little Vitamin A

2008-08-25T14:44:00.001-05:00

The kids love to eat carrots "the rabbit way."

ps - back to school pics coming soon. I need to finish up our summer!

Mom's going to explode

2008-08-21T18:01:00.002-05:00

B & C came running off the bus with their usual list of requests, "Can I have a popsicle. Can we have a play date? I'm thirsty. I'm hungry."

Cooper runs up crying about something,

Luci asks the 3rd time for a bandaid.

I can't move fast enough. I'm holding my head as they all scream at me and say "Hold on. Give me a minute. I'm going to explode."

The three older ones go completely silent and take 2 giant steps back.

ice cream sundae night!

2008-08-20T19:39:00.002-05:00

I need to post a bunch of catch-up form this summer.

Michael Phelps!

2008-08-16T22:45:00.002-05:00

Yahoo! 8 gold medals!

One more funny from the triathlon

2008-08-16T22:36:00.003-05:00

Ben: How old to you need to be to be in the triathlon?

Mommy: I'm not sure, maybe 18?

Ben: Oh, so it's Rated R?

Mommy: ummmm....yeah

(it turns out that there were very young kids participating - maybe 10 years old. I think it's actually rated PG)

Castle Rock Triathalon

2008-08-15T21:51:00.004-05:00

Long Overdue! Mark, Barb, Chris, Diane & Mike all participated in a triathlon in WI last month. I stayed behind. Makes me look like a lazy bum! I DID do this once upon a time and I don't feel a real need to repeat, but maybe next year.

The kids had a blast with their cousins, as usual. It's like the parents don't even exist. They all get along so well and the older ones take care of the younger ones. It is really very sweet.

They cheered for every single runner and even told them what place they were in through around number 220 when they lost count.

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Funny moment on the way up:

Ben: What is a triathalon?

Daddy: It a race with three sports; swimming, biking, running....

Ben: Can sword fighting be one of them?

Daddy: Not usually, but that would be very interesting!

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ps - blogger is doing something weird with my images. Compressing them or something. I will probably switch blogs soon....

Triathalon Pics

2008-08-15T21:24:00.011-05:00

Sophie, Sophie and Sophie

2008-08-15T20:53:00.004-05:00

L: I'm tucking in my babies.

Mommy: Aww...they are cute. What are their names?

L: Sophie, Sophie, and Sophie

Mommy: Oh, well how do you keep them straight?

L: huh?

Mommy: Like if you call, "Oh Sophie...what are you doing?" Who answers?

L: (looking at me like I'm a total moron) Mom, they can't talk.

Mommy: Good point.

Holiday Mini-Sessions

2008-08-15T11:54:00.002-05:00

I am currently scheduling Holiday mini-sessions. See the lulubird photography blog for details. Thanks so much!

4 kiddos

2008-08-13T19:42:00.003-05:00

I think we have exactly one picture where all 4 kids are smiling (this is not one of them).

Lego catalog is here....

2008-08-13T19:30:00.001-05:00

....we don't see much of Ben for a few hours after it arrives.

I will catch up....

2008-08-13T14:44:00.001-05:00

I am so behind on blogging and just about everything in my life. Trying to do as much as possible with the kiddos before school starts.

B & C are at Camp Grandmama and Grampy Campy this week in WI. They are busy with hourly activities and field trips. I am trying to keep Luci and Cooper busy. I didn't quite realize how much help B & C were until they were gone. The little ones are like lost little puppies without their brothers to keep them entertained!

Here is just one lonely pic I have hanging out on my computer:

Charlie at the pond

2008-08-05T09:21:00.002-05:00

Little pond near our home.

One more of Bob Barker

2008-08-05T09:17:00.002-05:00

Coop's hair gets whiter and whiter and his skin gets darker and darker (I do apply sunscreen twice daily!). He also loves dogs. Just call him Bob Barker!

Storm

2008-08-05T09:10:00.004-05:00

Just a little catch up. This is from when Denise, Monica and Miranda were here. A very strange storm came in quickly. It was dark and cloudy in one part of the sky and bright in the other. Made for some cool shots looks like there is a flash, but there is not)

The kids had a blast with the girls!

Obama for President

2008-08-04T16:27:00.004-05:00

We have CNN on at our house at background noise for most of the day, so I assume this is where Ben picked up his political insight, but who knows with that kid...

Ben: Mommy, I'm voting for Barack Obama.

Mommy: Oh, really?

Ben: Yes, because he will give the future to children.

(10 minutes later)

Ben: Mommy?

Mommy: Yes?

Ben: What's future?

Right now...

2008-08-01T22:48:00.003-05:00

Luci is having her first sleepover. Addison is with us for the day while her parents and brother are at a wedding.

Luci pushed Addison's crib right up next to her bed. The two girls put on their silky pj's and chatted until they fell asleep. So sweet!

They know how to....

2008-08-01T22:42:00.003-05:00

download and share Nintendo DS games, navigate webkinz.com, build intricate lego structures, read almost fluently, swim laps in the pool, score goal after goal in soccer, write letters to friends, construct puzzles with hundreds of pieces...

But they cannot pour milk into a bowl without spilling or eat rice without half falling to the floor.

Blackberry Farm

2008-07-30T09:51:00.008-05:00

Just a few from our trip to Blackberry farm with Henry and Addison. We had a blast. I do think Ben and Charlie are getting a tad big for pony rides :(

Coop's first real hair cut

2008-07-23T21:27:00.005-05:00

I've given him a few trims here and there, but it was finally time for a real haircut. He did great! Much better than B &C's first cuts (they both screamed the entire time).

He sat very still in his little car. She put Elmo on for him to watch, but he was more interested in watching in the mirror to see what ws going on with his head.

The LAST picture above is the before shot.

The lifecycle of pajamas

2008-07-19T11:47:00.002-05:00

Ben has taken to wearing only underwear to bed. This is fine by us except for when he gets his "pajamas" on at 6pm and then comes down to watch a movie with us on the couch. Here is the conversation from the other night:

Mommy: Ben, what's with the underwear?

Ben: This what I'm wearing to bed.

Daddy: well, how about some shorts?

Ben: I tried that and it was OK, but this is how it goes: ONE - top and bottoms for pajamas. TWO - Only shorts for pajamas. THREE - Only only underwear and your skin is soft on the sheets. THAT is the life-cycle of pajamas!

Mommy: Who can argue with that?

Visit from papa

2008-07-18T23:04:00.009-05:00

My dad came in from MI to hang out with us during his vacation. GM has a mandatory shut down every year at this time so that he can come and celebrate my birthday with me. He is a master "putzer" and is always looking for projects. This year we told him his project was just to hang with the kids.

He read LOTS of books. Even Cooper learned to bring a book to papa. He took the older three to the movies, B & C to piano lessons, and took them all to pick out a birthday cake for me. He told lots of stories (snuggle-up-a-saur-us it still a fav) and still managed to trip our hedges. Thanks Dad!

Here are a few pics of our ice cream trip and of the kids and him before he left:

***ps - please don't mind the poor quality of the pics. I accidentally uploaded the low-res files and I'm too tired to re-do.

Another new blog

2008-07-17T14:48:00.003-05:00

I had to start a new blog so that I can separate my photography (client stuff) from my personal life. As if that's possible in real life!

I'm not fully functioning on there yet (I guess that's the same as my real life!), but take a peek when you get a chance.

LuluBird Photography Blog

MIA

2008-07-17T14:45:00.004-05:00

We're here! Just crazy busy. I have lots to update you all on (well, actually, the blog is also for my future self). Here's one recent picture:

Laundry day

2008-07-13T19:57:00.003-05:00

Another one from a few months ago:

Coop loves to sit up here and talk to me while I do laundry. Those of you that know me well know that I spend WAY too much time doing laundry and I'm not too happy about it.

Lemonade!

2008-07-13T19:42:00.005-05:00

This is from back in May, but I was going through old pics and realized I never shared it. The kids had a blast doing their lemonade stand with their buddies. Don't mind the spelling on the sign I don't know what I was thinking. Maybe that I could use some help?

SAVE THE LEMONS!

Happy 4th!

2008-07-07T08:20:00.002-05:00

The kids had a great time with Papa last week! Aunt Pamela Addison and Henry visited one day, Papa took the older 3 to see Wall-E, saw their last Baseball game of the season, and celebrated my birthday with us. Papa also gave our bushes a big trim! Thanks Dad!

We went to WI for the 4th and the kids had a blast with their cousins and Grandmama and Grampy. Ben and Charlie hung with Nate, J.D., Dan, Pat and Jordan and Luci had her girl fix with Miranda, Raegan, Kerry, and Monica. Cooper and Jacob played a bit too :) I think the glop-off was their favorite event.

My regular computer is getting fixed, so I don't think I'll upload pictures until it gets back.

Go, Go Speedracer...

2008-06-29T22:39:00.007-05:00

The kids loved the movie. It was very cool, but there were many questionable parts. Bad language, fighting...ughhh! Why do they do that?

At any rate, the kids have had hours of fun re-enacting the movie. B built his mach 6 in the backyard and the others joined in.

Racer X:

Trixie:

SpeeedRacer:

The Monkey:

I love it when...

2008-06-29T22:35:00.002-05:00

They all play together... They are in such different places in terms of age and interest right now, but every once in a while all four of them connect on something. On this day they were sending hotwheels down the slide.

The many faces of C

2008-06-29T22:31:00.003-05:00

Just a few of our goofball. He loves making us laugh! He has lots of words, but the only one he really likes to say is "no!" He does it just because it's funny.

At dinner tonight we asked him a series of questions. Papa is here, so he got to join in the fun.

Do you like Chicken? No!

Do you like to eat? No!

Are you silly? No!

Are you going to wake up early? No!

Are you a frog? No!

Are you a boy? No!

Do you pee in your diaper? No!

You get the idea....

corn on the cob

2008-06-24T21:28:00.004-05:00

Cooper loves it! So do B & C. Luci....not so much.

1st Cubs Game!

2008-06-21T22:04:00.004-05:00

At the train station:

On the train:

We took the boys to their first Cubs game a couple weeks ago. They loved it! They especially loved the food. 6 hotdogs, 2 cotton candies, 2 licorice ropes, 2 hot chocolates, 2 rootbeers, and 2 giant bear claws later they declared it a very good time!

Mark thought it was important to share with you that Charlie went #2 at the game! Who does that?!?

Some soccer pics

2008-06-17T21:20:00.005-05:00

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-06-17T21:11:00.003-05:00

I have some catching up to do. I'm way behind on May pictures. Now that all of them are home all day and I'm working more, my computer time is dwindling...

Here are the boys on their big day. They are already calling themselves 1st graders. I'm pretty sad about that.

They had a great year! They love school, they are both very smart and have great friends. They are really so blessed to have such nice kids in their class and I look forward to seeing them all grow together!

Weirdness

2008-06-10T22:43:00.003-05:00

Charlie: What day is it?

Daddy: Tuesday

Charlie: awwww, man....

Daddy: Why does it matter to you? You're not in school. Everyday is like Saturday!

Ben: Because I told him he could pull one hair from my leg every Thursday night.

Superman

2008-06-10T22:33:00.004-05:00

This is a couple weeks old. On one of the first warm days I asked the boys to change out of their school clothes and put them in the laundry room so that we could go to the park.

They were dressed in 2 minutes flat. This is what I found in the laundry room (where Ben changed). I think this is what Superman does - STEPS OUT of his clothes.

More Memorial Day

2008-06-10T22:27:00.005-05:00

Memorial Day

2008-06-02T07:37:00.004-05:00

We went to a little burger place on the lake in WI for Memorial Day and as we were eating a man (probably in his 80's) walked in with his veteran uniform on. He must have been a regular there because diners cheered for him by name.

This sparked a conversation abut why we celebrate Memorial Day and how we should be thankful to all of the men and women who serve our country. Ben walked right up to the man and shook his hand and said, "Thank you for serving out country." The man was so sweet and talked to Ben for a bit.

Charlie is a bit more shy, so he stayed back and asked his customary 100 questions.

Charlie: What is a veteran?

Dad: He fought for America, probably World War II. He might have fought in the army or the airforce like Grandpa Souder did.

Charlie: Oh, but why do they make the old people fight?

Memorial Day Snapshots

2008-06-01T22:48:00.000-05:00

Heaven

2008-05-21T22:42:00.002-05:00

Two days ago-

L: Mommy, remember when I was in Heaven?

Mommy: Ummm....no?

L: You know, before I came to live here?

Mommy: Oh, yes, of course.

L: and Jesus was there and he told me to come live here with you.

Mommy: Really? (trying not to say anything leading. Just ant to see where this goes...)

L: Yes, and He said that He is always living.

Today
Luci: Mommy, do you remember when I had brown skin?

Mommy: No?

Luci: You know, when I was in Heaven and I had a different house?

Mommy: You did?

Luci: Yep!

Captain Underpants

2008-05-19T22:43:00.002-05:00

Ben comes downstairs wearing underpants on his bum and a pair on his head. He's also got a sword.

Me: Umm....what are you doing?

Ben: I'm CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS!

Me (with visions of a playdate going bad): Ya know, I'm not so crazy about Captain Underpants, maybe you can be a super hero instead?

Be: Yeah, good idea. I'll go put my Superman underwear on.

Sneak Peeks

2008-05-19T07:15:00.004-05:00

Hi!

We had a great day on Saturday with our shoots in the park. The kids were all so cute and cooperative. It might take me a bit to get these all proofed, so I wanted to give you a little peek at some of the images.

Parents - I 'll email you within the next week or so to let you know when your entire gallery is ready.

Thanks again!

It finally pays off to have an early riser.

2008-05-15T22:08:00.003-05:00

Ben has been an early riser since he was 3 months old. He wakes up EVERY morning at 5:30am. He is happy and ready to face his day. You can image how fun this was when he was a baby and toddler and we had to get up with him.

Over the past couple years he has become much more respectful with his early rising. He stays in his bed and reads or whispers to himself. Sometimes he'll tiptoe to the bathroom or even get himself dressed. Then he waits until around 6:30 when I come into their room to wake them up. Charlie is almost always still sound asleep.

Today I went in his room and saw him fully dresses and bed made!

Me: Wow, that's great Ben!

Ben: AND I went downstairs and made my lunch.

Me: Really ( a little nervous)?

Ben: Yes, and I made Charlie's too. I made sandwiches, apples and cheese sticks. Then I put them in our backpacks. I also put our library books in our backpacks. Mine was missing the card, so I made a new one (he hand wrote his name on a paper and cut it to the proper size). I put snacks and juice boxes in there too. Then I did my homework and I did Charlie's too! I put our homework in our folders and put them our backpacks. We are all ready for school!
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Oh my goodness! He is either getting very responsible or I am a slacker mom. I had nothing to do this morning except feed them breakfast. I'm sure Ben would have been happy to do that too!

In case you are wondering (or Mrs. N is reading), we don't always do homework in the morning. They have soccer practice after school on Wednesday and they are soooo tired, so I usually let them do their homework in the morning.

A faux hawk, a baba, a pen and some oranges.

2008-05-12T20:20:00.001-05:00

L and her pony

2008-05-12T20:12:00.004-05:00

Here she is at her last horseback riding lesson. She loves it! This is Cal the pony.

And one of Coop growling at the horses:

The Giving Tree

2008-05-08T21:12:00.003-05:00

Mark just read this to the kids and Ben says,"Don't worry dad, if you were the tree I would never cut you down."

I love him!

Mark was telling me the story just now and totally had tears in his eyes. Don't tell him I told you.

Charlie and Ben

2008-05-08T21:03:00.004-05:00

I will have more pics of them once they are out of school (only a couple weeks). I only have more of C & L because they hang out at my house all day, not because I love them more.

Our chicks hatched!

2008-05-08T20:58:00.004-05:00

Our chicklets hatched. Aren't they cute (In a totally ugly sort of way?). I think I did too good of a job scaring the kids about getting too close to the tree. Poor Charlie is now terrified that that mama bird is going to attack him.

Cutie Pie, Bye-Bye and Squigly girl

2008-05-06T22:18:00.003-05:00

These are the names of the pet worms my nieces and Luci adopted last weekend. I was so excited for them to spend the weekend with us so that Luci could get some girl time. You know, dolls, house, Barbie....

They did all of that, but the highlight of the weekend were their pet worms. They made homes for them, fed them, dressed them in bows and even took them for a walk. I'm pretty sure their lifeless bodies had had enough after three hours of love by my delicate flowers.

Mommy, I'll beat you up....

2008-05-06T22:16:00.001-05:00

This is what Luci says as she races me up the stairs.

Then we are on the way back down and scurries in front of me and says again, "Mommy, I'll beat you up!"

Cooper says..

2008-05-06T22:15:00.001-05:00

Yesh!

and

NOOOOO! (Finger pointed and brows furrowed.)

Here she is:

2008-05-02T15:16:00.002-05:00

Pretty much any picture you see of L, Dirty Baby is within 10 feet of her. She has a few, but prefers the dirtiest/crustiest of the bunch.

I love dirty baby too

2008-05-02T13:36:00.003-05:00

I was just tucking Luci in for her nap and singing "Hush Little Baby," her favorite song. As I sang she rubbed dirty baby's silky foot on my face. I know you are thinking "oh gross," but it was so sweet. The DB's foot is super loft and very well loved.

Blessed Mother Mary

2008-05-02T13:28:00.002-05:00

The boys had to bring in flowers for mass today for Mary for May crowning. Here is the conversation from 7am as we packed backpacks:

Ben: What are the flowers for?

Mom: For Mary.

Ben: Why?

Mom: Because she is the Mother of Jesus.

Ben: Why is that so hard?

Have you seen...

2008-04-30T18:21:00.003-05:00

I am sure we left these at someone's house somewhere:

-7-8 Dirty babies (Luci's pink baby). We are down to 2!

-Cooper's black Converse

-Mommy's sanity?

First Baseball Game

2008-04-28T14:03:00.002-05:00

B & C had their first game last weekend. They did great!!! I can't believe how little the guys look in their costumes (they are quick to correct me -"UNIFORMS MOM!"

They had a great game, both made runs and great plays. the most exciting time of the day was buying and wearing the "armour" they wear in their underpants...boys!

Robin's eggs in our tree

2008-04-27T22:00:00.003-05:00

Aren't they cute? Let's hope the kids believe me when I told them that it is not candy!

Dear Uncle Mike & Jenny,

2008-04-27T21:59:00.002-05:00

You smell like fish paste....in a barn!

Love,
B & C

Sick day

2008-04-25T13:34:00.003-05:00

Ben is home sick today. He was up all night coughing and scratching. I'm sure his asthma/allergies aren't helping his cold :(

It was the first time either of them had to stay home sick. When we told Ben this morning, he cried because he wanted to go to school, and then Charlie cried because he didn't want to go alone. Then Charlie's bus just drove right past out house (substitute driver), so Charlie, Cooper and I (in our pjs) start running down the street like crazy people at 7:30 am!

It's been a very strange day with Ben, Luci and Cooper home. Luci and Cooper love it! I've gotten a lot done because Ben is here to keep them amused. Ben and Luci played animal doctor for 2 hours! I've never seen the two of them play so nicely and quietly together, so it's been good for them. Let's just hope the other two don't get sick!

Waiting

2008-04-22T22:46:00.001-05:00

One more of Coop waiting for the "Bye-Bye" to get here.

Coop and his balls

2008-04-22T22:37:00.002-05:00

He loves balls! He always has some sort of ball in one hand and something to hit it with in the other. Could be a tennis racket, bat, stick, shovel....

Uh-Oh

2008-04-22T22:22:00.003-05:00

Cooper makes a very deliberate O shape with his mouth. He gets it just right before he proclaims "UH OH!"

Speaking of language....

2008-04-22T09:38:00.004-05:00

I rarely correct my kids on some of the words they come up with. I know I am doign them a disservice, but it's just too cute. Ben and Charlie are starting to self-correct now that they are in school ( I hope they weren't made fun of too badly!).

Here is translation for some of their cute lingo:

Ben and Charlie (I usually don't lump them together, but they do have their own language):
Oboe = Elbow
Stuffy Woof = Stuffed Animal

Luci
Baba = Sippy cup with milk
MyOWNself = Myself

Cooper
Ma = More
Ma = I'm tired
Ma = Hold me
Ma = I'm bored
Dog = Dog
Dog = Horse
Dog=Lama
Ba = Ball
Baba = Warm milk in Sippy cup
grrrrr = bark
grrrrr = meow
grrrrr = fish
Dada = Daddy
Yah = Yes
Da? = What's that?
Bye-Bye = Bus (because that's what we say to the bus every morning)

Have to run. I'll add more later.

Sweet Lulu

2008-04-22T09:29:00.002-05:00

Cooper is taking his morning nap and Luci and I logged on to order a copy of Sleeping Beauty from Ebay. $40 later we are all (Luci, Dirty Baby, and I) just sitting in the big brown chair chilling and watching Land Before Time.

It's hard to imagine her as anything other than this sweet curly-topped little girl. I can't correct her English or her lisp because I'm afraid that will make her grow up. I can't discourage the thumb sucking for the same reason.

I love her so much.

Just a few from today's WINDY day

2008-04-16T22:03:00.004-05:00

We went for a two hour walk around Peck Farm. I let them out for the last stretch. Check out Coop's comb-over.

Rainy Day

2008-04-16T21:29:00.002-05:00

Luci LOVES to color and Cooper loves to steal her crayons. It was funny that we were coloring Dora because Cooper is Swiper. "Swiper no swiping!"

Good morning Lulu

2008-04-16T21:16:00.003-05:00

This is how our sweet, beautiful girl wakes up every morning. Everyone knows not to talk to her for at least 15 minutes and you'd better not be sitting in her chair (the middle stool).

...and just a few short hours, she is as sweet as can be:

I think it's time for some new socks

2008-04-16T21:14:00.002-05:00

While we're at it the BOYS have holes in everything! Pants have holes in the knees and shirts have holes in the sleeves and cuffs. Are they eating them?

Ben sent a letter

2008-04-16T14:37:00.003-05:00

I went the the mailbox to put some outgoing mail in there and I noticed this green envelope sitting in there.

Ben was trying to send a letter to his cousin. He addressed himself, put on the biggest stamp he could find, and put it in the mailbox. He even put the flag up! All on his own.

Things that come out the same way they go in...

2008-04-10T23:19:00.002-05:00

Peas
Corn
Mandarin Oranges

That's pretty much all Cooper ate today. Think he got any nutrients from them?

Tooth Fairy

2008-04-10T21:41:00.004-05:00

Dear Tooth Fairy,

You suck! I cannot believe you did not deliver Charlie's money before he woke up.

I understand that you are probably very old and it must be hard to carry around all that change and get to all of those children, but that is no excuse. Perhaps you should hire an assistant. I think Santa could loan you a few elves this time of year.

Thank goodness you delivered while Charlie was eating breakfast because we would have had one very sad little boy on our hands.

Sincerely,
Kendra O.

ps - I heard you are paying some children $50 a tooth! I think that's entirely unfair and probably needs to be regulated.

No more oatmeal !

2008-04-07T22:27:00.005-05:00

Coper didn't like the oatmeal, but he thought it was real funny to spit it out all over me!

Here's one from the other day that way way underexposed. My friend saved it for me in Photoshop (something I could not do!):

And Happy Birthday to baby Henry!!!!! Our nephew came a little early today!

Just a few

2008-04-05T22:50:00.004-05:00

Here are a few pics form today.

We fed the ducks and then the kids ran away from me as I tried to take their pictures. Cooper and Ben succeeded.

Here's an idea for someone...

2008-04-05T22:48:00.002-05:00

Someone should start a publishing business for blogs. You should find a way to print and bind people's blogs into nice keepsakes or coffee table books.

Please feel free to steal my idea so that I can use your services.